FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Skagit County Coroner Receives IACME Accreditation?
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The International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME) has announced the Skagit County Coroner?s Office has received accreditation by the association. Skagit County will be the 39th office in the nation and the 7th coroner?s office in Washington State to be accredited by the IACME. Coroner offices self-submit for accreditation to ensure the operating policies, procedures, and practices are within international guidelines. IACME accreditation endorses the quality, integrity, and credibility of an office.
The Coroner?s office was subject to review of 288 standards including administrative, forensic, investigative, and facility review. The IACME requires 100% compliance of mandatory standards and 90% of all applicable standards. Through this accreditation process, the Skagit County Coroner?s Office showed that they made every effort to provide the highest level of service to the citizens, neighbors, and visitors of Skagit County.
?We could not be more proud of the dedication displayed by County Coroner Hayley Thompson to receive an IACME accreditation,? said Commissioner Lisa Janicki. ?The seven years of hard work towards this achievement demonstrates Hayley?s strong desire to provide her services with the utmost respect and honor to the families of our deceased.?
Accreditation has been a goal of the office since Hayley was elected as Coroner in 2016. Over the last 7 years, the Coroner?s Office has made changes to the office to improve the quality of investigations. This has included finding a dedicated team of well-trained investigators, creating a facility to provide all services necessary for the office, and developing relationships with external stakeholders. In addition, legislation passed in 2021 requiring all coroner offices in Washington State to become accredited by 2025. Failure to do so will result in decreased reimbursement for autopsy services from the state for those counties not accredited.
The accreditation certificate will be presented to the Skagit County Coroner?s office in July at the IACME annual conference in Las Vegas. The accreditation will be valid for the next five years.
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